New Holstein Members Urge Board to Reach Fair Settlement

New Holstein Education Association members engage in an informational picket July 19 before a school board meeting at New Holstein High School. Members from six neighboring local associations joined NHEA members in a show of solidarity. (Photo courtesy of Jim Flora)

Approximately 75 WEAC members gathered in New Holstein Monday (July 19, 2004) to demonstrate their support for the New Holstein Education Association during contentious contract negotiations with the school board.

Joined by WEAC Vice President Terry Meyer, the members met for a rally at the home of NHEA bargaining team member Grace Flora before participating in an informational picket at New Holstein High School. The picket continued as school board members arrived for a meeting, which union members attended.

During the meeting, Flora and Bargaining Chair Tom Fleming urged school board members to reach a fair contract settlement with the NHEA. Later in the meeting, school board members voted unanimously to permit Superintendent Joseph Wieser to impose a Qualified Economic Offer (QEO).

"The motion was passed with complete disregard for the other 75 people in the room," said Jim Carlson, executive director of the Kettle Moraine UniServ Council. "They are using the QEO as a scare tactic, but all it has done is make the union stronger and more unified."

NHEA members have been working without a contract since July 2003. Bargaining teams for the union and school district began meeting in January 2004, but quickly reached an impasse. By late April, both sides began mediation sessions and but made little progress.

Negotiations centered on salary and health insurance benefits, Fleming said. The board wants NHEA members to accept a point-of-service health plan, which has more out-of-pocket costs than the current managed-care health insurance. NHEA is willing to consider the new health plan, as long as the board offers a sufficient salary raise to offset the extra costs to members, he said.

Instead, the board proposed freezing the salary schedule so NHEA members stay at their current experience step, Fleming said. "The union has already made $225,000 in concessions," he said. "All of the movement has been on our side. There is nowhere else for us to go."

Fleming said his district's teacher salaries rank near the bottom when compared with neighboring school districts, making it hard to recruit and retain quality teachers.

The difficult negotiations have contributed to low staff morale in the district, which has been hit hard by state revenue caps and declining enrollment. Last year, the district eliminated six teaching positions. "We're not looking forward to starting school under these circumstances," Fleming said.

Posted July 21, 2004